Storyline
The storyline of the game has very little impact if any on the actual game itself. However, this is the story, as detailed on the ijji website. The Age Of Ryswick The Axium Empire was not that much different from any other group of small city-states before it was unified by Ryswick the Great. It wasn't until Ryswick was appointed Master of the Knights that Axium began to have conflicts with neighboring countries. The Axium Knights demonstrated an amazing superiority in combat and started conquering neighboring countries one after another. Axium's aggressive expansionist attitude began to alarm surrounding countries. They quickly formed an alliance with the military city of Tracass at its center. Though greatly outnumbering the Axium troops, the alliance was soundly defeated at the battle of Skerna Plains. All the city-states of the alliance were forced to open their gates and accept Ryswick as their leader hence forming the united Axium Empire. The Industrial Age Around 100 years ago, the invention of the steam engine sparked an industrial revolution in Axium. Rapid growth and radical changes were felt in almost every corner of society. Huge fortunes were quickly amassed by the merchant class. Citizens of Axium began to realize that power could be gained through capital and not just through the favoritism of the king. Gangsters proliferated and outlaws committed daring robberies with the aid of industrialized guns. The Empire teetered on the brink of chaos. Wealthy groups of bankers, merchants and lawyers grew to have power equal to those of the noble classes. The intelligencia of Axium became divided into two groups. There was a conservative group that supported the sovereignty of the king while spurning industrial evolution. There was also a group of reformers who believed that capitalism and the development of a mechanized civilization was the only way to embrace the future. The Start of the Republic About 60 years ago, the Crown Prince of Barone, an extreme conservative, succeeded to the Axium throne. This led his younger brother and reformist, Whoth Poonsa Nown, to lead a group of his followers south to a region called Ilys. There they establish the Republic of Travia, with Whoth Poonsa Nown as its first President The emergence of a republic attracted the wealthy of different regions, greatly undermining the foundation of the Empire. Finally, King Barone issued an order to arrest Whoth Poonsa Nown and his leading advisors, branding them as traitors. This action quickly escalated to war between the Empire and the Republic. An early victory was predicted for the Empire because of its sheer strength in numbers. But the Republic was armed with immense capital and the power of a science-oriented civilization making it a difficult army to defeat. After decades of futile bloodshed, the Empire suspended its attacks on the Republic. The two countries signed an armistice. This allowed the population of both countries to enjoy a rare moment of peace. The Age of Adventure In the backwoods and rural regions of both countries, groups of rebels formed. They called themselves anarchist, but both the Empire and the Republic labeled them as outlaws. With no defined leaders, the number of anarchists who lived outside the law, looting and staging surprise attacks on stores, factories and small corporations, kept growing. About this time, there emerged a mystic in the Empire who had the ear of the king. Magic had been all but forgotten by the general population after the advent of the industrial revolution. The master magician, Notrith Atrin Kiten, had been secretly studying the powers of the dark arts for decades. With dreams of reconstructing the declining Empire, Notrith Atrin Kiten accelerated his research of magic with the strong support of Barone. The army of the Empire was quietly strengthened. Backed by the military, Notrith Atrin Kiten started to suppress the anarchists of the country. The emergence of the magician and subsequent appearance of a strong military force provoked the Republic. They belatedly launched a secret study of magic and developed their own system of spells and talismans.